Core Protection for Dads

The Case for An Updated Affidavit of Paternity at Hospitals for Fathers

Did you know that the average man that ends up in the maternity ward while their mate is having a child is nervous about becoming a dad? The percentage of men that are super excited is diminished by the probability that the child is not his-Fathers demonstrate a serious need to feel included in the preparations for the birth as in the entire pregnancy and thus be able to better define their paternity and so that becoming a parent is a more tranquil and active process of which they feel that they are an integral part-In other words there are a lot of men who welcome the fathering experience, and want to be as involved as they were from the formation of that child.

The very name of the test is specifically aimed at fathers-Paternity means fatherhood. That means establishing paternity means reaching a legal decision about (or establishing) who the father of the child is at that time.

My question then becomes, why isn’t there a process in place, that ensures that procedure is done at the hospital BEFORE the dad signs the birth certificate?

It would be so easy to get this issue taken care of at the time of the childs birth-All three parties are already at the same place at the same time-How much disturbance would it cause to have the dad take the paternity test if that's what he would like to do. It really shouldn't be taken as disrespect to the mom, but often its perceived that way. It’s thought to put the mom in a "bad space" after just giving birth to her child. But we must put those feelings aside and do the right thing for all involved. It’s not just the parents and child who are affected by these actions, its the entire lineage and family line.

Similarly, both parents signing an Acknowledgement of Paternity (AOP) form under oath (although there is never a notary there) establishes paternity for that child. This is most often done in the hospital when the child is born. Among other benefits for the child, signing an AOP ensures that the child's original birth certificate includes the father's name. If a father signs off on a child’s birth certificate, the court will generally assume that person is the child’s legal father. The other is to have the father in question take a paternity test, which would generally be done within the courthouse to ensure that the test results belong to the person appearing in court. “Usually, they’re not looking at any other kind of testing that would be done outside of the court system,” This needs to be changed-

The hospital where the child was born is the best place to establish paternity. There are many rules that a layman wouldn’t understand, such as the fact that once a man establishes paternity, he may never be able to get out of it-There is currently a part of the law that states every child deserves to have 2 parents-If by some chance you sign the birth certificate and change your mind for some reason, they still may not remove your name from that certificate- An adjudicated father(one who stands in the gap) can’t abandon their rights, in any way- “The court’s not going to let there be a child without a parent,” “So one really quick way to know that the case isn’t going to be successful … is when you don’t have a replacement—you don’t have that bio dad. Maybe that person has passed away, maybe you can’t find them, maybe they’re not willing to cooperate.”

Now for the solution...we propose that one line be added to the birth certificate affidavit of paternity. When this form is presented to the man, it should have an additional line that simply reads: Does either parent request DNA test to be completed on site- and a box to check Yes or No

If NO is checked the dad can then feel free to sign the birth certificate validating a live birth and claiming responsibility for that child.

If YES is checked, the dad will be taken to a room, where a blood test will be administered and depending on the results, he then has the CHOICE of signing the certificate of birth based on fact and not fiction. At the end of the day its currently costing all of us, lets look at some facts-

An estimated 24.7 million children (33%) live absent of their biological father

Of students in grades 1 through 12, 39 percent (17.7 million) live in homes absent of their biological fathers

57.6% of black children, 31.2% of Hispanic children, and 20.7% of white children are living absent their biological fathers

According to 72.2 % of the U.S. population, fatherlessness is the most significant family or social problem facing America.

Our thoughts are that if men were certain of their actual paternity, these numbers would go way down. Men come from families with siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and the like-who would be more inclined to help support children from a union that may have split-If there was a certainty that the child was "of that family". How do fatherless families affect society? According to the data below, children from fatherless homes are more likely to be poor, become involved in drug and alcohol abuse, drop out of school, and suffer from health and emotional problems. Boys are more likely to become involved in crime, and girls are more likely to become pregnant as teens-

But on the other hand-Fathers help their children to develop positive self-concept, self-esteem, social competence, empathetic abilities, self-confidence, and emotion regulation.

We need fathers.

Let's help men make the best decision possible for all involved-please put the additional line on birth certificate forms, to assist men in being able to establish and validate their paternity and be the best dads they can be to a child they know if theirs from day one.